Ohio Valley Symphony

The Ohio Valley Symphony is the only professional orchestra in the Ohio River valley, a region including its home city of Gallipolis, Ohio, and Point Pleasant, W.Va., on the river’s south bank. Now beginning its 30th season, the OVS is the resident ensemble of the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre. The orchestra was created as a result of the vision of Lora Lynn Snow, a Gallipolis resident and professional oboist. She was frustrated during a different orchestra’s rehearsal early in 1987 and realized “how music-making should be.” The result was the Ohio Valley Symphony. Since its first performance on April 1, 1989, the group has never wavered from its guiding principles: to bring live, professional, orchestral music to southeast Ohio audiences; to provide performers an atmosphere of positive reinforcement; and to instill a love of music in children through education and exposure to great music. The OVS offers a six concert subscription series with three concerts in the fall and two concerts in the spring and sandwiched between is a Christmas Concert the first weekend in December. The orchestra performs a wide variety of music to satisfy every musical appetite. Besides Gallipolis, the OVS has performed in Athens, Portsmouth and Rio Grande, Oh., Ashland, Ky., and Point Pleasant, WV.